Immunologic Tests for Pregnancy

A Comparison

Abstract

Eight immunologic pregnancy tests were compared in pregnant and in nonpregnant patients in the following categories: patients with proteinuria. those receiving psychotropic drugs, women taking oral progcstins, postmenopausal females and hypcrthyroid patients. Also evaluated were patients with a known acute ectopic gestation. The observations indicate that there is a difference not only in the sensitivities of the various reagents, but in the degree to which factors other than the presence of chorionic gonadotropin may influence the tests. Although the ideal reagent has not been developed. Pregnosticon Slide appears to be one of the better reagents for a general all-purpose office pregnancy-screening test. The hemagglutination- inhibition tube tests are best if increased sensitivity is desired for use in problem pregnancies.